U.S. Navy Apologizes for the 1882 Bombardment of an Alaska Village

A U.S. Navy commander on Saturday offered what he called a “long overdue” apology for a bombardment of a native Alaskan community 142 years ago that killed six children and led to widespread suffering during a winter in which residents lacked food and shelter.

The commander, Rear Adm. Mark B. Sucato of the Navy’s northwest region, apologized at a ceremony on the anniversary of the bombardment in Angoon, Alaska, which is about 100 miles south of the state capital of Juneau.

The bombardment of the community, on Oct. 26, 1882, killed six children and left residents stranded, according to the Sealaska Heritage Institute, a nonprofit in Juneau that works to preserve the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.

“Children perished, houses burned and winter food stores were lost,” according to Alaska.org, a travel website about the state, and blankets and ceremonial objects were taken.

Though it is not precisely clear what led up to the attack, it is generally agreed that it started with the accidental death of a Tlingit shaman, who was killed when a harpoon gun exploded on a whaling ship owned by his employer, the North West Trading Company, according to The Associated Press.

By the Navy’s account, tribal members forced the vessel to shore, possibly took hostages and, in accordance with their customs, demanded 200 blankets in compensation, The A.P. reported.